A device, such as a switch or a router, may include one or more devices that channel incoming packets from any of multiple input ports to an output port appropriate for the packet's destination. For example, a network switch may be configured to inspect a packet as it is received, determine the source and destination device of the packet and forward the packet appropriately.
Typically, a local area network (LAN) and a wide-area-network (WAN) may include a number of linked switches. Whereas, often Small Office, Home Office (SOHO) applications may make use of a single switch or an all-purpose converged device (e.g., a gateway or a router).
In some instance, a network switch may be incorporated into a single integrated circuit (IC). In this context, such a device may be referred to as a switch-on-a-chip (SOC). Multiple SOCs may be used together to form a larger switching system. In many instances, such a switching system may be packaged, sold, and thought of as a single switch. Often, such a switch may allow for the insertion of additional SOCs (e.g., using plug-in cards) to increase the capacity of the packaged switch.